I read this post about a Microsoft program manager who, working from home and missing the social vibe of regular offices, decided to create a setup which would allow him to work with a colleague as if they were there alongside each other.

Doing a little further digging, I discovered one of the companies at the forefront of this technology is Cisco with their product range, Cisco TelePresence. First introduced in 2006, the technology provides high-definition 1080p video, spatial audio and a setup designed to link two separate rooms so they look like a single location.

Here are some examples of the technology, pretty remarkable stuff. (On a side note, make sure you check out CNN’s live hologram during the Obama Inauguration if you haven’t seen it yet.)

Cisco Telepresence Live Event

HP has also taken steps into the market place with their product range HP Halo, a high-end telepresence application. As with most new technology, particularly for the enterprise, the costs of such devices are extraordinarily expensive but in time let’s hope small and big businesses alike will be able to afford them.

HP Halo